NEW Behind the Scene Titanic Movie Exhibit Opening this Weekend!

I am very pleased to announce a New! Exclusive Limited Engagement! Visit the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tn beginning this weekend, and you will experience a 2012 Behind the Scenes gallery of James Cameron's TITANIC. 

A whole new generation will be introduced to James Cameron's epic drama TITANIC, when the 3D version of this spectacular movie is re-released April 2012. In anticipation of the excitiment it will create, Titanic Pigeon Forge will launch an exclusive behind-the-scenes exhibit that follows TITANIC's Jack-and-Rose story - on the set, from the director's chair. The exhibit will also feature props, costumes, scripts and other valuable collectibles from the film. 

Of coarse our Titanic Mommy Bloggers will be there this Saturday, January 14, 2012 to be some of the first guests to experience this NEW gallery. You will be able to read about their experiences on our Mom Blogger web page after their visit. 

Not only will guests to the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tn. this weekend be able to view this Exclusive New Gallery, but come on Saturday, January 14 between 9am and 3pm and you will become part of the audience as Ice Sculptors from around the globe compete for the top prize in Titanic's 2nd Annual Ice Carving Competition. 

Folks, if you are looking to beat those cabin fever blues, look no further than the Titanic Museum Attraction. 2012 if the Year of Titanic, so stay tuned to our website as we continue to announce continuous tribute events during the year. 

Another note: Jaynee, our beautiful 1st Class Maid, will be on Jewelry TV on January 17 from 7pm-8pm EST to introduce a new Titanic line of Jewelry. Make your new years resolution - Treat Yourself - and join the live broadcast. There are some beautiful pieces!! 

Also, tickets go on sale February 6 for our April 14 event. You won't want to miss this very important historical tribute.

Happy New Year!

For more information, please contact us at 800-381-7670 or visit www.titanicattraction.com .

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Have an Ice Day at the Titanic Museum Attraction

 I am very excited to say that our 2nd Annual Titanic Pigeon Forge Ice Carving Competition is coming up in January 2012. It will be held on Saturday, January 14 at our Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tn. For more information, visit our website. The event is free!!!  Contest Information is below.

I have been attending these Ice Carving Competitions at our Branson, Mo. location for several years with my family. We are always amazed that a sculptor can chisel down a 250 pound block of ice into a spectacular work of art. My boys are especially entertained by this event. It is nice to be able to take them somewhere (in January when cabin fever hits hard at our house) that THEY enjoy.

I am running a facebook contest for this event in Pigeon Forge. It begins on December 3, 2011 on our Titanic Museum Attraction facebook page. The winner will receive a January 14, 2012 FAMILY PASS to our Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tn. and a one-night stay at the Wilderness at the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Waterpark Resort. I can't think of a better way to fix cabin fever in mid-January than to come experience this event.

Here are some sculptures that were created last year:

I hope to see you at the Titanic in Pigeon Forge, Tn.  this year as we kick off 2012 with our Year Long Tribute to Titanic as She Turns 100 years old!

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Fall in the Ozarks - Titanic Signature Events

Fall is here. The air is crisp, the leaves are beginning to change colors, and our family is gearing up for a busy season of spending time with family, enjoying the outdoors, and you guessed it.....SOCCER. As usual, we have so much on the agenda. I want to share with you our fall line up in hopes that you might be able to join us in some of these fantastic events that have become part of our family's fall traditions!


Fall wouldn't be fall without our yearly trip to the Titanic Museum Attraction parking lot for the Annual Chainsaw Woodcarving event. This year, on October 7, 8, and 9 will be the 4th annual and I can't wait to see these skilled artists perform. Be sure to be there at 2pm on each of these days. Why? Because this is when the artists auction off their sculptures to the crowd. You can get some incredible deals!

The following weekend, on October 15 is my tasty charity favorite. It is Titanic's 2nd Annual Firehouse Chili Cookoff. Last year, I learned some really interesting secrets about great chili. I will let you learn for yourself. Who knew that all of our local firefighters were such great cooks??? This year, we have a special Guest Judge from Harrison, Ar. His name is Michael Ardolino and he will donate $100 to St. Judes. The winners of the contest will also donate money to their favorite charity of choice. It is a delicious time for our family with lots of kid friendly activites!

If you are a pet lover, you have surely heard of TAME magazine! They have their annual Pets and Pumpkins event on Oct 22 this year in Springfield, Mo. Pets from across the Ozarks will compete for best dressed in this Costume Party event. Not to mention, last year there were bouncy slides, krispy creme doughnuts, marshmallow roasting, video gaming, arcade like games, and tons of other stuff for kids. Titanic's 1st Class Maid Jaynee will attend with a special guest of the four-legged kind. My kids always have a great time at this event! Here are a few pictures from last year:

And of coarse, Fall wouldn't be Fall without Soccer. My husband is coaching both teams this year, U6 and U10. He is so great with the kids, very competitive, but the kids love it and are learning! I am so thankful to the Titanic Museum Attraction for all that they do to support our community. I will leave you with a few soccer pictures....Happy Fall!! See YOU in OCTOBER!

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Here's to Making Each Day Count!

What a summer! We did it! Phew! Our family lived out our philosopy this summer.....You can rest when you are dead. We managed to fit in a fabulous trip to Tennessee, camping, boating, swimming, summer camp for 4 weeks, a trip to St. Louis for a wedding, visits from several relatives, back to school shopping, volunteering at church, and 2 full time jobs. Oh, did I mention that I am training for a half marathon and get up at 5:45am each morning to run? Are we intense, or what?

Wedding in St. Louis

The first day of school is always so bitter sweet for me. I am excited for our two boys to embark on a new journey and I am anxious for them at the same time. I pray that they will have great teachers who love them for who they are and train them up as if they were their own. I always want them to be able to make new friends and keep the old! (obvious reference to girl scouts. Maybe I will sing this to them at school? Won't they love that? LOL). 

Back to School

The boys were apprehensive about going back to school this year after enjoying such a great summer, but they seem to be transitioning pretty well! They both like their teachers so far and both have friends in their classrooms. What a blessing!

Back to School

Because I am the Chief Purser of the Titanic Museum Attraction, my family has become well versed in Titanic history. Each time we have visited one of the museums as a family, we have learned more and become more emotionally connected to the passengers who sailed Titanic.  One of our favorite stories is that of Douglas Spedden, age 6. He was traveling home to New York, via the Titanic, with his family after a vacation in Algiers and Monte Carlo. There is a very famous picture of him on one of the decks of the ship, playing with a top. Father Browne took the picture.

http://cheddarbay.com/0000Tea/Titanic/passengers/survivors/survivors3.html

Young Mr. Spedden reminds me of my boys...with a passion for adventure, outgoing, and resiliant.
His mother, Daisy reminds me of me. They were survivors of the disaster and were rescued by the Carpathia. I recently read the most wonderful quote from Daisy Spedden following the Titanic disaster, as the Spedden family continued to travel to Europe much as before but with a new perspective on the frailty of life. Daisy wrote that all the values of their lives had changed and “the daily incidents which once seemed of such importance to us dwindled into mere trivialities". (http://www.the-titanic.com/Passengers/Survivor-Stories/Douglas-Spedden.aspx)

Just like many other visitors to the Titanic Museum Attraction, I have often wondered what happened to each of the survivors after they arrived home? What was THEIR transition like after making it through such a terrible disaster? Each survivor was given a new lease on life. Did they all have Daisy Spedden's new philosopy to not sweat the small stuff? Or were they eternally tortured by their memories of that fateful night? Did any of the survivors go into politics in America? Did they build empires and legacies? What impact did they have on American History? Did the children survivors go to American Schools and tell of their adventures on Titanic?

Starting this Labor Day Weekend, at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Mo., a new fantastic exhibit will be revealed. It is called the Survivor Wall. Have YOU ever wondered what happened to each of the survivors? The Titanic Museum Attraction has spent the past 2 years researching each of the survivors of the Titanic and you can now find out what happened to them and what impact they had on our history.

When I reflect back on this summer, I feel satisfied that we packed it all in (even though I am a bit exhausted). As Jack Dawson from the famous Titanic movie by James Cameron said..."I like waking up in the morning not knowing who I'm going to meet or where I'm going to wind up. Life is a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You never know what hand you will get dealt next." 

http://www.titanicuniverse.com/titanic-jack-dawson-leonardo-dicaprio-a-character-study/1474

HERE'S TO MAKING EACH DAY COUNT!

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A Family Vacation in the Smokies...Cont.

We just got back from an amazing family adventure in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Last November, I was fortunate enough to visit Pigeon Forge, Tn. on a business trip. I was blown away by the beauty of the area and all of the fun attractions that were available. I dreamed of bringing my family back to the area to experience it all.

As many of you know, I am the Chief Purser/Social Media Manager for the Titanic Museum Attraction and of coarse we have a location in Pigeon Forge, Tn. I had been working for several months on a Mom Blogger Event at the ship and knew that I would be going back to Tennessee for the event. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to bring my family, not only to meet my new Mom Blogger Friends, but also to experience the area on a family vacation.

As I have mentioned before, we are a family full of energy who enjoys being outside and we will try most anything once. Well, my dream came true and we were on our way...on a long drive to Pigeon Forge, Tn. (15 hours). When we arrived on the Parkway, our focus was on this magnificent ship that looked like it was going to sail across the road. There she was, the ship of dreams transformed into a GREAT museum. My husband could not get over how big the museum was and how much presence it had on the Parkway. My family couldn't wait to check it out.

The first order of business, however, was to find our lodging. We stayed at the Appleview River Resort in a cute little 2 bedroom condo. We rented it through Old Mill Lodging. The staff there was extremely helpful and made sure we had everything that we needed. The condo was clean and came equipped with a full kitchen, a patio with a gas grill, and there was a pool close by. I liked the area because it was about a half mile off of the Parkway. The Resort was tucked away behind an apple orchard and the Pigeon River flowed behind right behind us.

The Mom Blogger event at the Titanic Museum Attraction began at 9am on Saturday. My husband and children met me there and I got to introduce them to 13 other Mom's and their families. We all toured the museum with the new Audio Tour devices. I wanted all of my Mom friends in the area to try the new Audio Tour with their families and let us know what they thought. The new Audio Tour at the museum has 2 versions; one for kids and one for adults. I kept hearing from our Mom Bloggers that they loved the new Audio Tours because their kids loved them and it gave the parents more time to read and enjoy the exhibits. All of the children were actively engaged in listening to the tour and learning about the Titanic. I would like to give a special thank you to Swift Shots who took all of the mom's pictures. Here is ours:

After the event, my vacation began! We had put together an itinerary for the trip to make sure that we experienced everything we could in the area. I am going to give you a run down of every place we went and would like to mention that most of the attractions did a ticket swap with us, so that I could experience their facilities.

1. Adventure Park Zip Line at Five Oaks http://adventureziplinesofsevierville.com/

I would just like to say that this was a HUGE accomplishment for me and the entire family loved it. Even my 6 year old was able to go and he did the last line by himself. When we finished this trip, I wanted to do it again. I am now addicted to zip lining. What a rush!

2. Wilderness Resort http://www.wildernessatthesmokies.com/

Here we stayed in a condo on the property. It was very nice - kitchen too. There was an enormous indoor waterpark equipped with a wave pool, 4 water slides, and surfing. We also enjoyed an outdoor waterpark that included a lazy river, wave pool, and putt-putt golf. Needless to say, the kids had a blast here. I highly recommend taking your family. By the way, in this picture above, Garrett found a dollar at the bottom of the lazy river. He was quite happy.

3. The Track http://www.pigeonforgetrack.com/

We had a blast here as well. We rode go karts on two different tracks. The boys enjoyed getting each other soaking wet on the bumper boats, and I think we may have scared Daddy pretty good on the Sky Flyer. See the picture above. They were up in the air and dropped from about 60 feet. Garrett on the left has to pull the cord to make the swing drop. My little one, Hunter wasn't scared at all....little adrenaline junky.

4. Smokies Angling Adventures with Captain David Berry http://www.smokiesangling.com/

I made reservations for a guided fishing adventure while we were there as a Father's Day gift for my husband. We chose to go Bass and Blue Gill fishing on Lake Douglas. Our guide, Captain David Berry, was such a great guy and very knowledgeable. He had competed professionally for years and now was strictly a guide. We started early in the morning and fished until lunch time. The boys enjoyed catching the Blue Gill. The lake was pristine. We enjoyed watching the sun come up!

5. MagiQuest http://magiquest.com/locations/kingdoms/pigeon-forge/

This was quite the adventure. The had the World's Largest Mirror maze. The kids loved it. I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack (LOL), but we made it through. They had a laser course where you had to pretend that you were on a Mission Impossible and jump through lasers. We also enjoyed an indoor black lit putt putt golf game. Hunter cheated so Garrett actually didn't enjoy himself as much. The best part of this attraction is their Magi-quest where you go on a scavenger hunt with these wands that are used to open treasures. It was really interesting and challenging. Plan to spend several hours here if you go.

6. Ripley's Aquarium http://gatlinburg.ripleyaquariums.com/

This was a world class attraction. You could swim with the sting rays, view many different varieties of sharks, and they had a huge penguin exhibit. I think we may have arrived at the penguin exhibit right after lunch. All of them were snoozing, but so cute. My 9 year old enjoyed this attraction the most. He took over 300 pictures of fish and spent over an hour in the gift shop. A definite must see in Gatlinburg, Tn!

7. Gatlinburg Sky Lift - http://www.gatlinburgskylift.com/

The views from up here were magnificent. You could see for miles. We all enjoyed riding this lift in Gatlinburg. I would highly recommend it.

8. Wonderworks http://www.wonderworksonline.com/pigeon-forge/

This was so much fun. There were so many hands on activities for all ages. You could spend an entire day in this attraction. This above picture is of Will laying on a bed of nails. You could rock climb, ride a bike that took you upside down, ride a virtual roller coaster, and more. We spent almost six hours at this attraction. It is definitely worth the money.

9. Dixie Stampede http://pigeon-forge.dixiestampede.com/index.php

My kids enjoyed this very much. This is a great dinner show endorsed by Dolly Parton. There are trick horse riders, buffalo, and you eat the dinner with your hands. My 6 year old was mesmerized by all of the animals. The food is good too and you get a ton of it. It was funny to watch Hunter get an entire Cornish game hen. He just looked at me and starting laughing. This is a great show for all ages.

10. Dollywood http://www.dollywood.com/dollywood_home.aspx

Did it all. Loved it all. FUN, FUN, FUN. Dolly was there, but we missed her. I liked the way the park thought of everything. There was a giant dryer that you could step into as a family to dry off after one of the many water rides. You could also purchase a shower cap in a vending machine before you went on a ride. There were tons of neat shops, good fair food, and the rides were all great. They even had a giant ropes course way up in the tree tops. We loved this theme park!

11. Laurel Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains http://www.mysmokymountainvacation.com/laurel-falls.html

We went on a hike up to Laurel Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains. I would have to say that my husband enjoyed this the most. He wanted to hike all of the trails. This particular trail was very crowded and we would have preferred to find one less popular. The waterfall at the top was beautiful.

That concludes a very busy but amazing trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. I would highly recommend this vacation to any family looking for adventure. There are activities for all ages. The landscape is breathtaking and the people of the area are friendly. We are back home now and recuperating. Thank you to all of the attractions of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville that made our trip a blast!

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